Got to check out some Lemolo fabric awaiting the cut and stitch when I stopped by PGF last week. Really exciting to see my designs laid out over all of that raw fabric, ready to be cut. Here are some photos from my visit…

I’ve been working towards this for a very long time. Everything seems to be falling into place, not always as expected, but it is all coming together in it’s own way. I’m trying not to force anything, let it come together as it does. Doing my best to take set-backs in stride and not sweat the small stuff. This approach has take a bit of extra time, but I think that is paying off. As new opportunities seem to continually arise in that “extra” time that would have seemed otherwise wasted. I am very excited and proud of the product I am creating and am getting ever more anxious as the finish date draws nearer and nearer. This is a very exciting time!

I will try to continue to keep you all updated as notable progress is made.

Made in Portland has such a great ring to it, doesn’t it?! There are so many talented people in this city it continues to blow my mind on a daily basis. Creative capital of the USA! I would like to make note of three companies that you may or may not have heard of. The first I’d like to mention is Otter Wax. I had the opportunity of meeting up with Chris a few days ago. A great dude with a fantastic product to offer. We are hoping to meet up again early this coming week. Good things will come of this! A bit about Otter Wax, straight from the source…

OTTER WAX is the first and only water repellent wax that doesn’t utilize paraffin, silicone, or other synthetic ingredients. In fact, it was our search for a 100% natural waterproofing method that led us to create our product in the first place. We’ve tested OTTER WAX against the other methods, and have formulated our wax to be highly effective and environmentally friendly.

Most oil-finish waxes we’ve tested contain paraffin (a by-product of the crude oil refining process), and leave behind an unpleasant odor and shiny finish. The oil-finish waxes generally come in a small canister and are applied using a rag and heat source such as a blow dryer; A method that is both time-consuming and messy.

While the petroleum odor subsided in a couple of weeks, so did it’s ability to keep us dry. OTTER WAX comes in an easy-to-apply bar, and lasts for months between applications even with heavy use.

You will be hearing more about Otter Wax from me and many others in the near future I am sure. To find out more go to their website at http://www.otterwax.com/

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A quick shout out to Dylan of GearPDX. I met Dylan last night through mutual friends, one of which is going on a epic cycling journey soon (have fun Nate!). I got to check out a few his products but haven’t seen the whole line in person yet. What I did see looked great though! Fashionable cycling street wear, all proudly made here in Portland. Check them out at http://gearpdx.com/

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Was sharing a few pints and good conversation with some friends at APEX on the 4th of July (whooooo! America!) when our good friend Chad rolled up in his ice cream truck! Chad, you couldn’t have had better timing. If you haven’t had the opportunity to enjoy Fifty Licks Ice Cream before you are really missing out! They can be found all over town sharing smiles and unique flavors from the truck, some of which include Slabtown Whiskey, Maple Bacon, and Stumptown Coffee. Sooooo good. For a list of of other ice cream flavors and to find out where you can get Fifty Licks see their website at http://www.fifty-licks.com/

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That’s all for now, Louis has a dog park date with is besty Zombie… don’t want to be late!

I feel very fortunate to know so many amazing people here in Portland. I’d like to take this opportunity to write a quick shout out to a few of the phenomenal people that I am currently working with. Keegan designed my logo and is currently working on finishing up my new business cards. I have a meeting scheduled with the ever-so-talented Eagle&Wolf team tonight to discuss website awesomeness, etc. Man of many talents, Brian Connolly, will be doing some of the super geeky behind the scenes web stuff for us. Also, pretty sure I have successfully wrangled my good friend Dylan into doing some product photography for me as well. Super rad dude and great photographer, happy to have you on board Dylan!

Huge thanks to all of you for helping make all of this happen. You are amazing.

-Elias

P.S. Louis, as always, has been super helpful around the shop as well. See some great pictures of him, myself, and a few of our shop mates here.

I have a meeting with some very talented folks tonight regarding the new website (www.lemolobaggage.com). More details on them and super rad website coming soon. Also, placed a order for a bunch of Lemolo t-shirts with the new logo. American Apparel, black w/ white logo, Gray w/ black logo. Chris over at Printed Matter came highly recommended and has been super helpful and really easy to work with so far. Should have t-shirts within a couple weeks! They will be for sale on my totally awesome new web store… when the website is completed. Ahh, so much to do.

Am planning out some really great details on this current run of bags, which should be available (on the future web store) by the end of June. I will post about the details once I get them all figured out and set in stone. Stay tuned.

Sat down with Keegan a couple weeks ago to work on the new Lemolo Baggage logo. Coffee fueled some ideas, and we were able to get some initial thoughts down on paper. Hopefully we will be able to meet up and discuss more details, etc soon. I like the direction we are headed. Good things in the works for the future I think…

As promised, here is the sneak peek of the aforementioned bag. As you can see this guy is quite a bit bigger than the last one. You’ll be able to stuff a fair amount of crap… I mean really important stuff… in there when you need to.

This bag features a roll top and flap system and larger outer pocket. I used oiled leather for the top flap, pocket flap, and re-inforced bottom this time. I haven’t done a whole lot of work with leather in the past and I am very happy with how this shaped up. As you can see from the photos above, I have once again employed that marine canvas, beautiful cream colored cotton webbing, and heavy-duty brass hardware. Although I am thinking a more heavy duty waxed canvas might be in order for this bag. Needless to say, I am very happy with how this backpack turned out. Being that it is prototype #1 there will be things that will change before we reach a final product stage. All of those things I will try and figure out as I use the bag over the next few weeks.

I am very excited about the future of this bag and the bag mentioned in the previous post. I hope you are as well!

I have been working on some new ideas these past few months. I’d like to share a sneak peek with you.

This first bag I finished for a friend around Christmas time. I have waited to post anything about it as I wanted to get some real-world feed back on how it was performing for her. So far so good. It’s a bit on the smaller side, if you compare it to what I have been doing in the past… although it is really unlike almost anything you’ve seen from Lemolo in the past so it’s a bit hard to compare, aside from the size that is.

A very simple, smart looking bag ready for everyday use. A drawstring and flap design keep your things secured inside the main compartment. Marine canvas gives this bag the water resistance you’d expect from a bag designed in our fair city, and a very nice feel as well. I think the brass hardware and cream cotton webbing really set it off.

This is just a preview of what is to come. As of right now, this bag is not available for sale. I will keep you posted on when and how to get a hold of one when the time comes.

Like what you see above? I just finished this bag’s bolder big brother (at least prototype #1 of it). Similar in material and style. If you like like the bag featured in this post I think you’ll love the one I’m going to post about next. Stay close…

In the past I’ve done my best to keep you all informed on the latest in Lemolo developments, whether it be a new idea, a new bag, or a new direction. Honestly, it has been a bit of a struggle keeping Lemolo going over the past year or two. I am sure you have noticed that I have had a inconsistent amount of product available at, what I’m sure seems like very random times. Aside from a short time back in early 2010 when I brought someone on to help with some of the sewing, everything Lemolo has been done by myself. That, combined with working 3-5 days tending bar has taken its toll on ol’ Eli. No complaints though, I have chosen the path that I am on and am happy with the choices I have made thus far.

I have said all of that to bring you up-to-date on current directions and developments on the business end of things around here. I had decided that, if Lemolo is going to continue then it can’t be just me, by myself, forever. A lot of thought has been poured into this area. I want to make the right decisions and please as many people as possible while trying to stay happy and sane myself. A tall order, I know. Time spent in the studio prototyping and behind the machine stitching has made it clear to me that I enjoy the design side of things much more than the production side. I am a very particular about my sewing, which partly is to blame for my slowness. I simply don’t have the speed that others have and that is a major disadvantage when it comes to trying to produce a large number of bags… obviously. Also, all that time spent trying to crank out bags has left only a very minimal amount of time to move forward, create more designs and grow the Lemolo Baggage line.

Ok, let’s get to the good stuff! It is important to me to have things created here in our great USA, and what better place than right here in Portland?! A mere 4 miles away (approx. 20 minutes by bike) from where I currently house everything Lemolo stands the Portland Garment Factory. I have recently had the opportunity to spend a little time with Britt, Rosemary and the rest of the amazing and talented crew there. Truly an amazing group of ladies. And our meeting could not have come at a better time for me. I feel very fortunate to have found them and am excited about what the future could hold for Lemolo and Portland Garment Factory.

Immediately upon entering into their gigantic space at SE79th & Stark you are welcomed by warm feelings, good energy, and the sounds of things getting done. Numerous sewing machines whirl away a few steps down from a large cutting table covered with fabric samples and works-in-progress. Pattern pieces hang along the wall next to the table while large shelves behind hold rolls of fabric awaiting use.

Britt and Rosemary have been both easy to talk to and fun to be around. They know how to be professional, while still keeping things feeling light. I am happy to announce that we are currently in the progress of working on our first project together. I am excited about this new development and hope that it is the beginning of a long, mutually beneficial relationship.

This new direction means a lot of things. The first, and most obvious, is going to be the availability of Lemolo. More Lemolo for more people! There is still a lot of work to do though. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ll start seeing loads of new Lemolo backpacks next week. I assure you it will be worth the wait though. I hope you are all as excited about this as I am! I will do my best to continue to keep you informed and up-to-date as progress is made.

-Elias

P.S. I stole all the photos you see above from the PGF blog… follow them here.